I Need You To Do It
by DittyWrites
Summary: Kylo Ren has been captured by the Resistance and sentenced to death by firing squad. And in a desperate attempt to help her only child, Leia has a special request for Poe Dameron.


As soon as he entered the room, he knew why he had been summoned.

The capture of Kylo Ren had been a huge victory to the Resistance. He had not been present at the feat but he knew the struggle had been bloody and brutal and he had lost a few good friends in the fray. But victory had been theirs and Kylo Ren had been dragged back as a spoil of war.

In accordance with law, the captured Sith had been swiftly brought before a War Crimes trial as soon as possible and charged with a host of various crimes which all knew him to be responsible for. His reputation across the galaxy as a merciless murderer and torturer was well-known and Poe himself had been on the receiving end of it not that long ago.

So the news that he had been found guilty was of no surprise to anyone.

The news that he had been sentenced to death later that day was.

Poe had assumed that Ren would be detained in some form of prison for the rest of his life, kept away from society until he was no longer a danger, but this news of an execution was genuinely shocking to him. Particularly since he knew that General Organa had a position on the trial committee.

Politics held no interest to him, he was a soldier and a pilot, not a politician but he was aware that a great deal of pressure had been put on the trial committee from a vast network of people who had been victims of Ren's crimes. The kind of pressure which would force the committee to make a serious decision when it came time to vote for the outcome of their findings.

And General Organa was only one woman.

One woman who had aged dramatically since the capture of her son, he noted, as his eyes sought her out in the small private room she had summoned him to. Her bright face which was usually fashioned with a sly twinkle and a friendly smile had been completely replaced by the pain and despair which was obviously tearing her apart. He could feel it radiating off of her on waves and he knew that she was dreading the impending execution of her only child. The woman was due to lose her husband and her son in the same year and he would not wish that fate on anyone.

"Poe." She greeted gently and even through the soft word he could hear how strained her vocals were and he vaguely wondered how long she had screeched and wailed for after finding out about her sons fate to cause such damage. "How are you?" She continued.

"I am okay, General." He nodded in confirmation, staring at her a little sadly as he offered her a small hug. It was unpleasant to see her looking so broken. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes." Leia hissed a little desperately as she turned to give him her full attention. "I need you to do something for me please. As a favour. One which I should not be asking for and could never do enough to repay."

Knowing what was coming, Poe tensed his body and expression in preparation. "What do you need from me?"

Taking a breath to steady herself, Leia brought her hands together to stop them from shaking. "I need you to do it. I need someone I trust to do it." Composure slipping, she added. "I can't leave it to someone else because they will hurt him, they all hate him! They want him to suffer and I can't-"

Her voice cut off as she fought off a sob. It took another moment before she gathered herself enough to speak again. "I need you to be the one to fire the shot. You are skilled enough to make it instant and painless. I know he has harmed you in the past but I can't s-stand the thought of him s-s-suffering." She stuttered as a new wave of pain washed across her face and she fell into a nearby seat.

As she collapsed into the small chair, Poe threw his glance to the only other occupant of the room. Rey's panicked and stricken face met his and he saw the similar note of pleading in her eyes. So it would appear that he was not the first person whom Leia had begged for help. If the look of conflict was anything to go by it was obvious that Rey had rejected the proposal and was struggling with her decision. If he could sense the pain in the older woman then he felt a great deal of pity for the other woman whose force-sensitivity would make her more keenly aware of Leia's agony.

His thoughts drifted to Finn, the only one of their team who was currently missing. He knew Finn was up in the infirmary, he had been part of the vicious battle and Poe was aware that he had sustained a serious head injury while helping some natives of the planet to escape. He vaguely wondered if Finn would have accepted the task. Probably. Not out of revenge, but for the greater good.

He brought his gaze back to General Organa after a moment but he struggled to keep his eyes on the desperate woman for too long. The sight of his beloved leader and good friend in such obvious distress caused a deep ache within him. He had no love for her child but he did have love for her and if he could lessen her pain then he would do what was necessary.

"General..." Calling her by her title seemed inappropriate and he switched, "Leia?" She glanced up at him. "I will do it." He confirmed to her, his voice filled with determination as he acquiesced to her desire.

Her lip quivered for a moment as she sought out the truth of his statement from his eyes. Finding what she needed, she jumped from her seat and buried her face in his chest, leaving small streaks of wetness where her tears met the fabric. "Thank you. Thank you." She sobbed continuously, almost as a mantra, until her words were lost by her constricting throat.

"Shhhh." He soothed as well as he could as he offered her a solid body to cling to. "I will ensure that the," pausing he quickly avoided the word execution, "that everything goes smoothly. I will not let you down."

"Thank you Poe," she wept again as she let go of him and attempted to dry her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "You don't know how much this means to me. You can't know."

Poe smiled at her to let her know that he understood but his insides were in turmoil. He was no executioner. He took no pleasure in killing others, monsters or not, and he was aware that he only had a few precious hours to console himself with the fact that after today he would most likely have to carry this death with him for the remainder of his life.

He hoped that he would have the strength to perform and endure it.


End file.
